hateful

adjective

hate·ful | \ ˈhāt-fəl

How to pronounce hateful (audio)

\

Definition of hateful

1 : full of hate : malicious

2 : deserving of or arousing hate

Other Words from hateful Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about hateful

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of hateful in a Sentence

the girl's classmates were bullying her online, sending her hateful e-mails and text messages

Recent Examples on the Web In fact, the pandemic inspired new antisemitic ideas and tactics such as Zoombombing, proving that bigots remain emboldened to act on their hateful ideologies. — Billy Kobin, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky sees record level of antisemitic incidents, Anti-Defamation League says," 27 Apr. 2021 The key to securing Republican support will be a tweak to language in the bill that currently requires hateful rhetoric or action to be linked to the pandemic to qualify under the bill. — Allison Pecorin, ABC News, "Anti-Asian hate bill could muster bipartisan support on Senate floor," 22 Apr. 2021 That this kind of racist stuff still happens is vile testimony to the hateful attitudes still perpetuated generation after generation. — Sharon Grigsby, Dallas News, "Aledo ninth-graders’ ‘slave auction’ of Black classmates should be a wake-up call to all white parents," 16 Apr. 2021 Experts who track extremism often report a spike in hateful rhetoric and incidents during particularly polarizing election years. — Mallory Simon, CNN, "Distribution of White supremacist propaganda surged in 2020, ADL says," 17 Mar. 2021 There is no place for hateful rhetoric at PBS, and this individual’s views in no way reflect our values or opinions. — Emma Colton, Washington Examiner, "PBS lawyer seen on video calling for children of Republicans to be put in reeducation camps," 12 Jan. 2021 Most everyone hates their boss at some time or another; that doesn’t mean every boss is hateful. — Los Angeles Times, "Column: Hollywood loves making excuses for bullies. Here are some of the most damaging," 12 Apr. 2021 In the past year, Chloe Kim has turned off social media notifications and stopped responding to messages from her fans to avoid seeing hateful comments. — Samantha Olson, Seventeen, "Olympic Gold Medalist Chloe Kim Opens Up About Her Experiences With Anti-Asian Hate," 2 Apr. 2021 In some situations, people shouldn't be hateful when someone disagrees with them. — Lia Beck, refinery29.com, "Voldemort Actor Doesn’t Understand Backlash Against J.K. Rowling’s Transphobic Comments," 19 Mar. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hateful.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about hateful

Dictionary Entries near hateful

Statistics for hateful

Last Updated

1 May 2021

Cite this Entry

“Hateful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hateful. Accessed 10 May. 2021.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster Check Mark Icon

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for hateful

hateful

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of hateful

: very bad or evil : causing or deserving hate

: full of hate : showing hate

See the full definition for hateful in the English Language Learners Dictionary

hateful

adjective

hate·ful | \ ˈhāt-fəl

\

Kids Definition of hateful

1 : full of hate “Then you get her out of here,” he said with hateful force.— Mildred D. Taylor, Roll of Thunder

2 : very bad or evil : causing or deserving hate a hateful crime

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

shrive

Listen to the pronunciation of shrive

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Star Wars Words Quiz

The bounty portion of bounty hunters (such as Boba Fett) comes from a Latin word meaning

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Universal Daily Crossword

A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.

TAKE THE QUIZ